August Babies

[Katherine]

Wills, Marina, Musica etc I miss us all chatting together. Time to pass on the mum2be moving on thread - so shall we start up again, and anyone else of course.

Still in cloud9 after last night. Poor DH had to spend the morning getting the holiday cottage ready and then I had to go and help him!!!!! But its OK because I feel great. Not even a little bit sore down there. Just these dratted afterpains to contend with - always think this bit is so unfair! You go through all that and get the reward of a lovely baby but the afterpains don't really give you anything do they. Oh well mustn't complain. MW said I'm back to a third already so thats why it hurts so much.

Wills how are those stitches doing? Hope you are not too uncomfy.

Well just changed 3 merconium nappies so no problems with Bea's bowels at all! And the cloth nappies are doing great - just ordered some more girly ones. Even my cloth sanpro is bearing up - much admired by the MWs.

Oh well better go and get the tea ready. Packed DH off to the park with the kids for half and hour for some peace and quiet so just been wallowing in a lovely bath. Time to return to domesticity now

Hi Wills. Sorry you've not had a good start but don't panic. Can't remember what you said you were using and not familiar with easy peasy. However make sure that all the nappy is well tucked inside the wrap - the tiniest bit poking out can cause wicking. Also make sure you have a snug fit around the leg. Babies come in different shapes and if your little one is skinny around the thighs then ones like fuzzis and nature babies might leak at the mo. Feel free to ask tech for my email and we can chat directly. It may be that you just need to experiment a bit more. I got a whole stack of different ones in the first size and settled on a few specific ones as others didn't work so well.

sorry - if you have fleece inside then you won't NEED a liner but its OK if you want to use one as it can help prevent stains if you are planning to sell them on That said fleece doesn't tend to stain anyway.

hi everyone, i think you all wont remember me, but i just wondered if i may join in again!! ds1 is 5yrs old and ds2 is cominig up to 4mths.

Hi and welcome. Must warn you that we're erratic conributers!

Hi everyone, and welcome Champs!

elena - so sorry you're feeling so low, and sorry about your Grandma as well. Poor old you! (((hug)))

Wills - how is baby's weight going? I'm definitely on a policy of avoiding the scales with dd - I know she's slipping down the centile charts, and has already gone from 98th to 25th, but she looks ok!

I've been feeling a bit low - I've got really worried about dd, for a really silly reason - she's not making any noises! Apart from the obvious crying, and she does laugh. She's brilliant at smiling and is really good at eye contact etc, but she just won't talk! She literally is silent! I'm going to go and see the HV, just to ask if this is ok - I'm a little worried she might be deaf or something!

Well, hope you're all ok. I'll try and post a bit more this week. Champs - erratic poster is certainly the word for me!

Musica - not sure how the baby weight is going. I had a couple of panicky days when I felt guilty and have spent most of the time with dd2 on the breast. It got to the point where she's just thrown up and then attempted to latch back on. She's stunningly tired (red rimmed eyes) and I've plonked her into bed so now she's attempting to scream the roof off in disgust at the fact that I'm forcing her to go to sleep without a nipple in her mouth. As a second time around mum I really did expect to be far more chilled out than I am sometimes !

Oh wills - I know what you mean. I thought second time mums didn't worry - but I've been so stressed about dd's weight, and also the lack of sounds. I think we both need to relax! Maybe some large gins would help!

Marina - can I just say what a lovely person you are. I read what you posted on another thread, and I just thought how kind and caring you are, and your children are so lucky to have you as a mum.

Hi all. Sorry wasn't ignoring everyone else the other day but only had time to reply to Wills.

Muscia - all babies are different but of course we all worry. Did you have the hearing test at birth? We didn't with not being in hospital but she had it a week later and it was brill. Much better than all that faffing about at 9mths or whatever. They just put a little probe in her ear and it play sounds. If all is well they echo back and it shows on the PC. PC decides if hearing is OK. Just wondered if its available in your area as it would put your mind at rest.

Alternative though not so nice is to make sudden noises behind her to see if she startles. I know its not nice but it might put your mind at rest and you can always give her a cuddle afterwards.

Hugs to everyone else - got to dash off to take DD1 swimming now. Arghhh. Never got time for anything anymore. Not even had lunch yet!

Musica - we did the sudden loud noise. Am now fully confident that her hearing is fine .

I've just fed and fed and fed dd2 and now her tummy is soooo distended that she hasn't been asleep since 8.00 am this morning. I've just returned from a long car journey to get her to finally go to sleep. I've left her in the hall in her car seat and there she will stay until she's had some sleep or of course dd1 discovers her.

Hi all and thanx for the welcome, wills-- I think ur doing a brill job, just the fact that u worried shows how good a mum u r, pls feel heartened that a baby will not starve itself!! I was a bad eater and went on to be very skinny as a child not eating and my mum got real worried, now i am fighting to diet!!! My ds1 was "underweight" wen he was a baby hv always had a go at me but he is just not a big eater, now he is 5 he can tell me that he isn't hungry and he gets full up very quickly which goes to show that he was just not hungry as a baby too. all my rambling is to let u see that we are all different, even as babies we have our own characteristics which includes eating habits.

Musica-- ur dd may just be quiet, as long as she shows signs of seeing and hearing i'm sure that she is fine, wen u hav the hearing test u will feel sure.

hi all and welcome Champs. Erratic is definatley the best description of my posts!
elena2-hope the councilling helps. I suffer with depresion (not PND) and have found a councillor(sp?) very helpfull. the ad's helped me to be able to function and to deal with the things that came up during the councelling. Haven't seen councilor since just before DD born and now am on waiting list again, as I too have been getting more down as the weeks go by, and feel I am close to needing to go back on the AD's again.

DD is doing fine though.
Wills- has the thrush gone yet? What nappies did you get?

must go as must get some sleep!!
(even 3rd time mums worry about everything!)

cyber hugs to all who need them!![[hugggggg]]]

elena2 - how are you doing?

Hi Wills
Thanks for the offer of a chat, I'll take you up on that soon.
Not too bad, ds1 usually goes to his Grandma's a couple of times a week, so he's been there the last few days which has took the pressure off a little. Although it's been very quiet and a little lonely without him... can't win!
It's a bit difficult with regards to my Grandma -I was in total disbelief I think over the weekend, as she was only in her 60's. It's difficult not to dwell on it when dh is at work and I'm on my own.

The Doctor talked me into letting her have a word with the HV and getting her to come up for a few 'listening visits'. I'm really regretting this now, it was hard enough opening up to the Doctor, and I'll be talking about everything how I feel to the Councillor, never mind having to talk to the nosey HV. I think it's only to make sure the boys are being looked after ok, which of course they are, even if I've not washed my hair for a few days and am wearing the the same old scruffs! It just feels like I make it through each day at the moment without really getting much pleasure out of it.

Hello! How are you all? I've been spending the weekend talking non-stop to dd trying to get her to talk! I've got a few 'uhhhs' out of her but that's about it! And a few chuckles. I think she's just a girly of few words. She did have the newborn hearing test Katherine, and she passed that ok, but I wonder if she's got a bit of glue ear - that one doesn't check for that, it's more for congenital deafness I think. But she has really good eye contact, so I think if there is a problem it is ear related rather than communication related if you see what I mean.

elena - how are you doing? Has your Grandma's funeral happened yet? I hope you and your family are getting through this difficult time ok. My Granma died about 5 years ago - I was there when she died, as she collapsed after a family wedding, and I was just so sad she didn't get to meet my children. But I really hope you are all doing ok. How is the counselling going? What about your listening session? Try to make the most of it - HVs aren't just there for the babies you know - they're supposed to be for everyone in the community! xxx

Musica - I've just seen your recommendation for an Etch-a-sketch and had to share with you my experience, having bought 3 of these sort of toys fully in the belief that they should be capable of entertaining a child for a long period of time. dd1 watches NickJr (with its wretched adverts) and spends most of the commercial breaks saying "I want that" "I want that" etc etc. The other day she was unbelieveably heard to say "oh - I don't want that". Both dh and I immediately ran into the room to see the one toy in this world that our dd1 didn't want. You guessed it - the latest colour etch-a-sketch. I guess my hopes of her winning the Turner prize later on in life are fruitless

hows everyone? colds abuntant in our house. DS2 and DD have very nasty cough as well as snotty noses. DD coughs so much she brings up a whole feed. also cough keeps waking her up at night. up at 1am, 3.30am and 6.30 last night having only gone down at 9pm. DS2 was coughing all night and was also up at 11pm and 5am. DS1 came into my bed at 6 and he isn't even ill! DH slept through though!!
DD is asleep now though. so i am going to put on a video for DS2 shut my eyes for a few mins!

Another erratic contributor signing in here, it's taken me ages to get this far down the site without either dh or ds or dd bursting into tears nearby for reasons valid...or not.
Elena, I'm so sorry to hear what a difficult time you have been having. I hope the funeral went OK, although in my limited experience of these things the hardest time can be just after the formal goodbye has been said. Thinking of you.
Wills, I caught up with your news on the other thread about b/f and GPs and "failure to thrive", do let us know how you get on at the hospital. I have been boring the pants off all and sundry telling them about the weight police pursuing dd and taking comfort from their indignant replies on her behalf.
Musica, aw, shucks , thanks. I think we all do a very good job on this site - our very presence and participation here shows we all have fortunate children with parents who are putting a lot of thought and energy into our family life, I always feel. Every day I come away with some new idea to try on ds. As it happens, I think he might have a different view on being lucky to have me as a mum, he has been a right little pickle over the past week and I even got asked to stay behind by his teacher last Wednesday. It seems there is a bit too much argy-bargy with lunchboxes and he is impervious to the concept of not biffing back if someone biffs him first. I suppose that is understandable as he is only four. The threat of sending him to school with his snack in a pink carrier bag (thanks Ocado) instead, seems to have worked for now.
As you may remember, I was panic-stricken about dd not smiling, I know how frustrating it is when they just will not do something you know deep down they can and should do. Dd is beaming constantly now (she did start it very late!) and I hope your dd starts speaking up soon. You may feel as much of a twerp as I do when trying this, but I've found it works: if dd utters even a little squeak, I chat away to her as though she was telling me something truly fascinating. I don't do this in public, of course. A barrage of chirps, whoops, squeals and gurning usually follows. I copied the idea totally out of The Social Baby, a book that has been recommended all over Mumsnet.
Better stagger off downstairs, a pile of half-written Christmas cards is crooning my name. Hugs to all and welcome to Champs!

Agree with Marina - I've been "conversing" with dd2 from about 5 weeks. Like Marina, this involves chatting with spaces being left and very quickly (and with a great deal of body movement) she fills the gaps in.

HTH

Hi Marina and Wills. I've been trying to talk to dd a bit more and I think she is making more sounds now. She was starting to be chatty today, so I think it is mummy's problem not dd's - not enough talking to her and general crapness on my part I think.

Isn't your appointment tomorrow Wills? Hope that goes well (assuming I've got the day right). Did you decide what to do about Florida or are you going to make a decision based on tomorrow?

Thanks for the encouragement Marina - I think I'll try to get a copy of that book, because I'm not very good at that aspect of things. Ds, whilst being a very sociable being was slow to talk, and I'm sure it's because I don't give them enough verbal stimulation.

Hope you're all doing ok. xxx

Hi All. I do the baby talking thing too. Babies as young as a few hours old respond to human faces and prefer language so I've always tried to make an effort. Have to admit I do it in public too. Often get very strange looks until I turn around and people see a baby strapped to my front! But you sholdn't feel bad if it doesn't come automatically Musica - I have days when I am lost in thought and suddenly realise that I've not spoken to her for ages. When you are busy its easy to get distracted. Don't worry it will come and once she starts talking to you then you will naturally repspond.

Things are mad here as usual and my dad has been in and out of hospital again, kidney failure this time. Its such a worry with them so far away. I worry that he is slipping away, I worry about mum being on her own, especially over Christmas but she won't come to us and leave him, I worry about having to dash up there and selfishly worry about it spoiling chistmas as we've got lots of friends and family coming to us for a big bash. Feel really mean but hate dragging the kids up there. Its their Christmas I need to worry about too.

Madly trying to get everything ready and not getting very far. Spent the weekend making cards with the kids but the glue was duff and all the bits have fallen off now. Grrrrrrr. Everyone keeps asking me what they should get DD2 and its really hard as we just don't NEED anything. We have toys and clothes everywhere. Is driving me mad. Oh well better hit the shops again I suppose.......

Hey, Musica, who is this General Crapness person? Please don't be so hard on yourself just because you don't prattle away all the time. As Katherine says, it is also very easy to leave them trundling silently around on their rugs for hours on end...or let them watch TV. Dd is clearly a couch potato in the making because she will sit like a snake hypnotised by a mongoose in front of Fern and Phillip (well, who wouldn't). I hope you're OK, you sounded uncharacteristically down just there.
Katherine, very sorry to hear your dad is unwell, I hope it doesn't disrupt your Christmas when you have put so much effort into organising it already. I'm pretty stuck when it comes to suggesting present ideas for dd. She already has way too many kindly donated pink teddies etc. As you are fairly green I expect you have already seen Smilechild but there are some nice ideas on there - jumbo box of Moltex Oko Nappies, please, great-auntie Joyce!
Hope everyone is well

Katherine - so sorry to hear your dad is ill - I hope it's not as bad as you're thinking. I'll be thinking of you.

Marina - thanks for your post - I have been feeling a bit low - don't know why really - just a bit tired, and we all seem to have been under the weather for weeks now - just horrible colds but they wear you down a bit. And I've been worrying away about dd - she is more chatty now so I'm feeling more relaxed now. I just feel like I've been neglecting her and ds, despite spending all day looking after them. This afternoon I brought dd upstairs to put her to bed, and it must have taken longer than I thought because when I got downstairs, ds was asleep on the floor!

Anyway, enough whinging!

Wills - how was your appointment today? I really hope it went well. I'm still avoiding the dreaded HV's scales!

Thanks for your advice everyone xxx

Thanks Marina and Musica. Suspect that dad is actually quite happy in hospital. A lot more cheerful than being at home. Offered to put mums decorations up with the kids when I was up but she wouldn't let me. Felt quite cross really as you was oblivious to how much it would mean to them to do granny's tree. You just feel obliged to be there and its horrible knowing she's just sitting there on her own. But I suppose its her choice and in some ways I think she thrives on the routine of hospital visits.

Marina Smilechild is fab isn't it. I've got DD2 that silver plated bell rattle. Its wonderful. Been telling everyone the only thing we want is more cloth nappies or wraps in the next sizes but they just think I'm mad. It feels wrong somehome to be so desperatly trying to think of something just so someone can spend some money. Afterall DDs doesn't know. Would much prefer they put some money to our new front door or plastering the bathroom which afterall will benefit her too. Just can't see the aunties wrapping a bag of plaster for a 4mth old though

Oh and sometimes I've been yelling downstairs for DS to come up NOW cos I've run the bath and when I eventually go down he's asleep on the sofa. Makes me feel really rotten.

Its mad though isn't it. Sometimes I think that when you look after your kids full time you are disadvantaged when it comes to spending time with them. After all when DH comes home his work is finished so although he's here less when he is he can do things with them. But although I'm here all the time I have so many bits and bobs to do that I'm forever saying "In a minute". When I do actually get time to sit down and do something extra with them it feels a real treat and I feel really guilty that I don't do it more often. Especially when I'm here!

DD1 having gnursery concert this afternoon. Armed with tissues. She's an angel (in the concert anyway ) Crumbs better go charge the camera up....

hi all, best wishes for ur dad katharine!! DS1 had his christmas concert and he was a hedgehog??!! sorry but not a long post, am tired and just popin in for a quik "chat" and catch up.
speak soon,
champs

Hi guys. Well I jet off first thing tomorrow morning. So far I've not felt a single twinge of excitment, its an enormous shame but Mum has made me so tense that that is the way it is. At the moment I'm full complete panic, I tend to do this just before I fly so dh is used to this and already refusing to speak to me until we're sat on the plane. dd2 has the chesty cough and sounds awful - god I do hope she'll be ok. dd1 is white with excitment and exhaustion having been completely wound up by dm. But at least dd2 has now pronounced normal and healthy - a great boost for the old ego.

Musica - I would say that at least once every three days I go to bed promising that tomorrow I will pay more attention to at least one of the girls and filled with regret. All I can say is that you sound like a fantastic normal mum and if you find the ability to split yourself between the kids and managing the house to a level where its safe and pleasant TELL ME!!!! Don't feel down, cos I'm also just like you.

Katherine - fingers crossed for your dad

Marina - the paed was a good experience so should you have to go that route he also practices in central London - Mr Raffles (sounds like a children's character but I can't remember which one).

elena2 - how you doing? Take care of yourself!

KMS, Champs, everyone MERRY CHRISTMAS and a FUN FILLED, NAPPY FILLED Christmas.

I'm back on the 29th (that is if I'm still alive or not behind bars !) Take care everyone.